Snakes audition for Met Opera role; boa constrictor Princess gets the part
At the Met, even a snake must audition. Princess the boa constrictor won the role in the opera's Coney Island-inspired staging.
At New York's Metropolitan Opera, even a snake has to audition. For the upcoming production of Mozart's "Così fan tutte," set in a 1950s Coney Island carnival, a boa constrictor will briefly take center stage — and the part was not handed out lightly.
Zoe Ziegfeld, a former carnival performer now playing the snake handler in the opera, conducted the unusual tryouts. Ziegfeld let each snake slither and wrap around, then hoisted the animal overhead, rehearsing the movements they would perform under the bright lights. They also looked each snake in the eye, checking its comfort with people and the routine.
"I need to know that the animal is comfortable with people and with what we are doing," Ziegfeld said.
After the cold-blooded competition, a larger boa constrictor named Princess won the role, chosen for her stronger visual presence on stage. A smaller brown boa named Nala will serve as her understudy.
Ziegfeld, who has played the snake charmer in this production twice before, came to the role with genuine carnival credentials — they spent seasons on Coney Island doing eight snake-charming shows a day. When they first auditioned years ago, live snakes were not allowed in the audition space, so Ziegfeld brought video of their act and performed the Human Blockhead stunt, hammering a nail into their nasal cavity.
The snakes for the auditions were provided by Nancy Novograd and her company All Tame Animals, which supplies the opera house with everything from elephants to insects. Novograd noted that animals must perform like human talent, and in this case, the right color, size, and chemistry with Ziegfeld were key.
Ziegfeld sees little difference between the two stages. "The music's different. The money is different. It's a pleasure to entertain. And with snakes, it's a delight to know that there are people watching who are in awe and people who are terrified. And those things happen at the Met and at Coney — so I would say they are more alike than different, to be honest."